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Rhode Island Primary Care and UnitedHealthcare Collaborate to Improve Patient Care in Rhode IslandRhode Island Primary Care Physicians Corporation (RIPCPC) and UnitedHealthcare have launched an accountable care organization (ACO) to improve care coordination and provide enhanced health services for more than 15,000 Rhode Island residents enrolled in UnitedHealthcare's employer-sponsored health plans. RIPCPC has been dedicated to improving patient outcomes since 1994. The state's largest independent practice association has a track record of developing innovative approaches to health care delivery that foster improved quality, enhanced patient satisfaction and reduced cost. This new ACO will help continue shifting Rhode Island's health care system to one that rewards quality and value rather than the volume of procedures performed. The practice's 130 primary care physicians will manage all aspects of patients' care, providing the right care in the right place at the right time. Physicians in the ACO will receive regular patient updates, enabling the care providers to monitor the care patients are receiving, and enhancing RIPCPC's patient-management capabilities. RIPCPC's care providers will be eligible to receive payment incentives based on evidence-based measures such as hospital readmission rates, disease management and prevention, patient safety and care delivery, as well as total cost savings and patient satisfaction. "We have long partnered with UnitedHealthcare to apply our expertise in health care innovation and patient-centered programs to improve the health of its plan participants and the broader Rhode Island community," said Al Puerini, M.D., president and CEO, RIPCPC. "Together, we can continue to increase patient engagement to achieve better health outcomes and improve patient satisfaction, while reducing the overall cost of care." UnitedHealthcare employer-sponsored plan participants who currently receive care from RIPCPC-affiliated care providers will not have to do anything differently to receive the benefits of this new ACO that include enhanced care cordination and follow-up care. "Our collaborative relationship with RIPCPC has helped improve the quality of care for our plan participants for many years while reducing health care costs," said Stephen Farrell, CEO, UnitedHealthcare of New England. "We have piloted programs to help people better manage chronic illness and enhanced the effectiveness of personal health tracking devices to improve their health. We look forward to expanding ways we can help our plan participants live healthier lives." Care providers nationwide are showing strong interest in a shift to value-based care. UnitedHealthcare's physician and hospital reimbursements that are tied to accountable care programs, centers of excellence and performance-based arrangements have nearly tripled in the last three years to $36 billion. The company projects this reimbursement will reach $65 billion by 2018. For more information about UnitedHealthcare's accountable care organization initiatives, visit www.AccountableCareAnswers.com. UnitedHealthcare serves more than 280,000 people in Rhode Island with a care provider network of 13 hospitals and more than 3,500 physicians statewide.
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